PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Charles Barkley's last NBA game may
have come a lot sooner then he expected.

Barkley suffered a career-threatening knee injury and the
Houston Rockets looked lost without him in the fourth quarter of
an 83-73 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Having already announced this would be his last season and
making his final visit to the city where he started his career
in 1984, Barkley suffered a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his
left knee in the first quarter -- an injury described as
definitely season-ending and possibly career-threatening.

The flamboyant Barkley, who spent his first eight seasons with
the Sixers, came down awkwardly on his left leg after contesting
a shot by forward Tyrone Hill with 4:15 left in the opening
quarter. He sat on the court until a timeout was called six
seconds later, then had to be helped off by two teammates.

One of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, the 36-year-old Barkley
refused to go to a hospital and returned to the bench in the
second quarter on crutches and wearing a cast on his left leg.

"I knew it was over when I saw it. I knew it when it first
happened," Barkley said. "I'm not sure what happened, but the
way my kneecap was bulging through my leg, I knew. I said,
`Well, it's been fun.' I knew immediately that it was over. I
knew there was something dead seriously wrong and I wasn't going
to play anymore."

After the final horn sounded, Sixers coach Larry Brown and
assistant Maurice Cheeks -- a teammate of Barkley's in his
rookie season -- acknowledged Barkley before he left for the
locker room to a standing ovation.

"It was supposed to happen like this. It was supposed to end in
Philadelphia," Barkley said. "I really believe that in my
heart. I might be stubborn and think about coming back but I
think if I look at reality, (it's done).

"God always sends us little subliminal messages that we don't
want to listen to. I do think in my heart, he wanted it to end
in Philadelphia where it started. I really believe that. I
said it was definitely over at the beginning of the season, this
kinds of seals it. I have 16 years of great memories."

One of only three players with 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds
and 4,000 assists, Barkley has career averages of 22.1 points
and 11.7 rebounds in 1,072 regular season games. He was
selected fifth overall in 1984 by Philadelphia and spent his
first eight seasons with the Sixers before he was traded to the
Phoenix Suns.

"You've seen me go from a boy to a man, do some good things,
some great things, some stupid things and everbody does those
things," Barkley said. "I'm proud to have been a great player in
the NBA for a long time. I helped the league grow and now it's
time for the young guys to grow, mature and step up."

Houston coach Rudy Tojanovich talked about what Barkley meant to
the game.

"He was one of my favorites," he said. "I loved his enjoyment
of the game. Just as a player he was great. He's been very good
for the game. He added a lot of color and excitement."

The Rockets already are without Hakeem Olajuwon, also one of the
NBA's 50 Greatest Players, for at least another four weeks after
he underwent hernia surgery.

Eric Snow and Aaron McKie scored 16 points apiece to lead the
Sixers, who took control with a decisive 15-3 run in the fourth
quarter. They stopped a seven-game home losing streak against
Houston that dated to January 8, 1992.

Even without Barkley, the Rockets were able to hang around and
tied it, 55-55, early in the fourth quarter after Mobley sank a
pair of free throws.

Larry Hughes and Eric Snow made consecutive layups to put the
Sixers ahead for good before rookie Kenny Thomas hit one of two
foul shots for Houston. Hughes made two free throws, Snow
converted a layup and Billy Owens sank a jumper, making it 65-56
with 7 1/2 minutes remaining.

After Thomas hit a 3-pointer, Snow answered with a shot from
beyond the arc and Owens made a layup to push the lead to 70-59
with 5:59 left. The Sixers led by at least eight points
thereafter.

"We wanted to go out and make it tough for them," Snow said. "At
the same time, we wanted to go out and make our plays and not
turn the ball over. The last game, we had no energy toward the
end, so we wanted to come out and play better."

Owens finished with 10 points for the Sixers, who shot 42
percent (35-of-84) and forced the mistake-prone Rockets into 27
turnovers that were converted into 28 points.

Hill and George Lynch added 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively,
for Philadelphia, which also held a 45-41 edge on the boards.

Paced by Francis' nine points in the first half, the Rockets
were able to hang around and trailed just 38-37 at the break.